Chapter 27

After Amon's defeat, the sector settled into a semblance of stability. The surviving terrans resettled and formed a new government. The protoss tried their best to rebuild their society after the devastation they suffered, both from the loss of many of their people as well as the Khala. Vorazun lead the Nerazim on a separate path from Artanis, as did Alarak. For the most part, they didn't get up to much, as everyone was battered from the war. Though, Alarak did seem to be looking around for targets of opportunity.

Meanwhile, the zerg were rebuilding their armies as well. They by far experienced the greatest amount of growth, as zerg reproduction greatly outpaced that of the terrans and protoss. Many of the planets left uninhabited after Amon's rampage were still rich in resources, and the zerg moved in and built up their hives on those planets to begin production. The zerg began to increase their numbers once more, after the past war had depleted the Swarm.

This wasn't the only thing the zerg were spending their time on though. In addition to growing their numbers, they were also focused on improvement. Abathur worked to refine existing strains and increase their combat ability. Meanwhile, the zerg had also returned to Ulnar, with Lelei being in charge of investigating the structure.

It was there that anomalous signs were discovered. There was far more to Ulnar than meets the eye. It was a home for the xel'naga, a vast repository of knowledge. But it also served as a focal point connecting different realms. It was there that the boundary of existence grew thin, where the Void drew close toward the material realm.

From the Void emanated whispers, but it was not the whispers of Amon. It was different and it called out to them. The zerg present upon Ulnar began securing the area as they looked for the path into the Void. When one took a broader view, it seemed that the entire structure of Ulnar was able to function as a conduit, linking one realm to the other. The important thing was to figure out how it all linked up, and how to operate the system properly.

The zerg prepared, holding off on an expedition until their forces had built up sufficiently. But finally, the time came to go on the attack. Amon was still alive, staying in the Void as he bided his time until he could return. Now that their forces were ready, it was time to go in, find whatever is sending those messages, and perhaps find something useful against Amon.

The zerg were fully mobilized, with a great multitude of Leviathans assembled around Ulnar, all filled with zerg. While there were still a few Leviathans elsewhere, colonizing new planets and creating more zerg armies, the bulk of the Swarm was here. The broodmothers were prepared to send their broods in as soon as Kerrigan ordered it.

With the Swarm assembled, it was now time to enter the Void. Ulnar trembled, as the ancient systems within the structure activated to form a passageway between worlds. Beyond, lay a chaotic space filled with unbound energies. It was a place of darkness, full of corruption. It was Amon's home turf. Amon would be stronger here than he would in the material world, but it was also the only place where he would be truly vulnerable.

The zerg fleet floated through the void. It was by no means a quiet journey. Chilling whispers echoed from every corner, and vile creatures born of the Void attacked them. These scattered attacks didn't prove to be too much of a hindrance. The fleet of Leviathans was more than enough to deal with the small fry that popped up constantly.

Throughout the vast emptiness, the zerg traveled. They moved toward a specific location, where Kerrigan sensed an entity trying to reach out to them. When the zerg fleet finally approached, they met the first significantly concentrated group of enemies. It appeared that they were approaching where Amon's forces were concentrated. And right in the middle of the mass of enemies was where the one who called out to them was.

"Are we going to attack this place?" Tyuule asked. "It could be a trap. The messages might be an attempt to lure us in."

"I don't believe that it is a trap", Kerrigan replied. "The presence seems genuine. And even if there was nothing there for us, we are still here to destroy Amon's forces. So, it will still be the right choice for us to attack. Also, I sense a familiar presence here - Narud. We shall destroy Amon's servant, permanently."

The zerg fleet approached the large landmass suspended within the Void and began the assault. Drop pods began impacting the surface, disgorging zerg that quickly sprung into action to attack the nearby enemies. The ground was filled with corrupt energies that spewed forth from dark crystals. Amon held a strong grip over this region of the void, and the corrupt energies acted as an extension of Amon's will, harming the zerg that were engulfed by it.

The initial attack wave of zerg moved quickly, overrunning the shades that served as Amon's warriors. The enemies were twisted versions of terrans, zerg, and protoss, but they no longer had any relation to their origin, now they were all simply Amon's minions. The Void, under the influence of Amon's corruption, birthed those creatures to serve as his slaves, as nothing more than an extension of Amon.

The attack was sudden as the zerg smashed through the enemies in their path quickly, before coming upon the void shard that was emanating the corrupted energies in this area. Shadows spawned nearby, but they didn't arise quick enough to hold back the tide of zerg. Soon, the zerg destroyed the shard, cutting off the source of the corruption. As the vile energies dissipated from the area, more zerg began to land to secure the foothold and a hive cluster was set up.

Still, this was but a small portion of the landmass, and the rest of it was just as dark and foreboding. The zerg attack had stirred up activity, and Amon's thralls ceased their aimless wandering and began to form up as Narud began commanding them. However, the main bulk of the zerg armies were already beginning to arrive, determined to defeat Amon's minions.

There were some preparations to be made though. Lelei had begun looking into the void energies shortly after arriving with Kerrigan. While the corrosive effects of corrupt energies weren't enough to totally styme the zerg assaults, it had proven to be a significant hindrance, killing off not inconsiderable portions of the initial assault team. Even though simply trying to purge the corruption from the entire area was impossible without the source destroyed, it was still possible to provide a small area where the void energies were parted away from the zerg force.

Once the magilisks moved in to push back the void energies on the fringes, the zerg army moved. The Swarm moved through the desolate and twisted landscape, advancing on the nearest void shard. As they drew close, Amon's forces attacked, trying their best to overwhelm the zerg assault. The shadows began firing upon the zerg, blowing through countless rows of hydralisks and roaches. Zerglings swarmed in, making only a bit of progress while dying in droves, though the ultralisks fared better.

The mutalisks came forth, quickly engaging Amon's air forces in combat. They flew around rapidly, making it difficult for Amon's minions to hit them. The glaive worms picked away at the shadows, breaking apart their forms as they cut into them. Dracolisks descended from the sky, striking at those on the ground. The fire ripped deep gouges through Amon's armies as the flames burned through the shadowy figures. After several passes, Amon's minions were devastated, the army cut apart while the rest of the zerg on the ground swarmed in and surrounded them.

Once the remnants of Amon's forces were destroyed, the zerg regrouped and continued their advance. Up ahead was one of the void shards. As they approached, several void thrashers emerged from the ground. The void thrashers began bombarding the incoming zerg, beginning to tear into the army. Then, Kerrigan struck back at the void thrasher, blasting it with even greater power that soon vaporized the void thrasher. Several of the void thrashers turned to attack Kerrigan, their shots impacting against Kerrigan's shield. Meanwhile, the zerg were already beginning to attack, tearing into the void thrashers from the bottom. Another round of attacks from Kerrigan destroyed several more void thrashers, and soon the rest of Amon's forces in the area were crushed.

As the zerg army halted briefly for a short rest, they were soon reinforced by more zerg coming from the leviathans. Then, they pushed onwards to press the assault. Amon's armies continued to sprout up out of the miasma, creating group after group to attack the zerg. However, the constant attacks were blocked by a line of ultralisks, while the hydralisks fired at them from behind the ultralisks. There were also some psionic storms from Kerrigan which thinned out the incoming attackers.

The constant attacks slowed down their progress, but the weight of the zerg advance was too much to stop. When the next void shard was reached, the zerg immediately began swarming in. Once more, void thrashers emerged, only to be beaten down again. With the destruction of the void shard, the corrupted energies dissipated from the area, breaking Amon's grasp over the region.

Without much delay, the zerg continued advancing forward, charging into the next area. As they moved forward, a fleet emerged from the darkness and began firing upon the zerg force. Their first targets were the magilisks that were dispelling the void energies. The shield formations weren't able to withstand the bombardment for long, and Amon's attack was able to destroy the magilisks that were removing the void energies.

Soon, the corrupted energies of the void began drifting back in as their corrosive properties ate away at the zerg forces. But, despite taking some damage, the zerg attacked back with greater force to destroy the attacking fleet. Mutalisks swarmed all over the attacking ships while the dracolisks began tearing through the hulls. Meanwhile, Kerrigan and Lelei were shooting down the ships from the ground with psionic attacks.

The damage to the zerg army remained relatively light. Once the attacking fleet was destroyed, the magilisks quickly coalesced into formation once again to protect the army from the rampant void energies. As the zerg advanced, more void thrashers appeared, but the tide of zerg was numerous enough to completely swamp the void thrashers and tear them to pieces. Finally, Kerrigan destroyed another void shard.

Narud was close, and so was the presence calling out to them. The servant of the fallen one was situated over the temple, surrounded by more of the shadowy warriors. When the zerg approached, the armies of Amon rushed forward to meet the zerg in battle while Narud began attacking them from afar.

The Ultralisks charged into the mass of shades, ripping through many of them with their blades, all the while the remainder of the Swarm followed from behind, tearing through their opponents bit by bit. Tyuule was fighting in the chaotic frontlines as she tore through the multitude of Amon's minions that charged forward. Lelei was using her abilities to manipulate the battlefield, obstructing the advance of the enemies in some areas, while striking down dangerous attackers.

When Narud began tearing through the front ranks of zerg with beams of energy, Kerrigan struck back at him, forcing Narud to break off from his attack to protect himself from Kerrigan's assault. Narud's clumsy attempts to retaliate against Kerrigan's attacks failed to hit, while he himself, being a stationary target, was forced to endure repeated hits from Kerrigan. While Narud was being injured, his forces were faring little better as they were soon broken through by the zerg. Once the remainder of Narud's guards were scattered, the Swarm pounced upon Narud.

A final blast from Kerrigan finished off Narud, and his body broke to pieces as he screamed. His form dissipated into the Void as he died a final death. Narud had been standing guard outside something, and now Kerrigan moved in to investigate, having located the source of the voice trying to call out to her.

A massive creature soon emerged from where it had been imprisoned. Though he was rather unsightly, Kerrigan could sense that it was a creature with great power.

The creature spoke. "I am Ouros, last shepherd of the infinite cycle. I am an enemy of Amon. I am the only xel'naga that survived his purge. Now I am his prisoner."

"So, you want us to free you?" Kerrigan asked.

"No", Ouros replied. "It is impossible. Amon controls the Void. I cannot escape from here."

Kerrigan then questioned Ouros further. "Then what is your purpose in calling us here?"

"The cycle must not be broken", Ouros said. "The merging of purity of form and purity of essence must continue. You, the one called Kerrigan, can merge with my essence. Now, fulfill your destiny. Ascend as xel'naga. Continue the Infinite Cycle."

"I don't have any interest in this Infinite Cycle of yours", Kerrigan replied. "You xel'naga have done enough with your meddling. There is no more need for a cycle. I will not be bound to your vague prophecies and plots. The future does not belong to uncaring gods that watch from above. I will take my destiny into my own hands."

"Powerful though you may be, you cannot stand up against Amon", Ouros said. "Only a xel'naga can defeat the fallen one. I shall give you my essence, and you can ascend."

"What is to stop me from simply killing you and taking your essence by force", Kerrigan said. "It is quicker and simpler."

"Do not be so hasty", Ouros said. "You will not be able to absorb my power as completely in such a manner. Moreover, I possess far too much strength for you to absorb all at once. To maximize your gains, the transfer should be done willingly and gradually. Now, take my power."

"I am not going to be your little worker to restore your cycle", Kerrigan said. "Are you still going to give up your essence. If not, then you will let Amon continue to live."

Ouros was silent for a few moments. Finally, he answered. "You shall have the power you seek, young one. In time you will see the necessity of the Infinite Cycle. It is inevitable."

"I'll be the judge of that", Kerrigan said. "Now, hurry up."

"Prepare yourself", Ouros said.

Ouros began giving up his essence, allowing Kerrigan to begin absorbing it. As the power flowed out from Ouros, Amon took notice. Seeing this, Amon sent his armies to stop the transfer in order to prevent the birth of something greater than him.

The whole of the Swarm was gathered around Kerrigan to defend her during this time. They began fortifying the surrounding area and preparing to repel the attacks from Amon's armies.

The first groups of attackers arrived, beginning to probe the defenses. When they approached, the zerg came out, quickly surrounding the nearby groups and destroying them. Still, this was only a small fraction of what was to come. The bulk of Amon's armies were approaching.

Swarm hosts were positioned near the entrances in order to hold back the tide of attackers. Constant streams of locusts poured forth from the swarm hosts, and they clashed against the incoming groups of attackers. Initially, they performed well, but as more and more of Amon's thralls arrived, they were able to blanket the area with attacks, wiping out the locusts in large numbers. Soon, they were able to push through the tide of locusts and approach the outer defenses.

The spine crawlers began stabbing toward the incoming attackers, tearing through them by the dozens. However, more of the shadows came and rushed forward, only to meet several ultralisks which blocked the way forward. Then, the bombardment started, as the tanks and heavy weaponry used by Amon's forces began targeting the defensive emplacements.

Several of the spine crawlers were blown up by the barrage, along with some of the zerg around them. Then, the zerg at the entrance rushed out, with the ultralisks charging forward to clear out a path while the other zerg followed from behind. Then, larger shadowy creatures emerged, blocking the path of the ultralisks. The armies clashed, with large amounts of damage being dealt to both sides.

The tanks continued to fire into the approaching zerg, destroying dozens of them with each shot. Though the battle had grinded to a halt on the ground, soon the zerg aerial forces flew in. The dracolisks scorched away the front lines of attackers, before diving down onto the tanks, ripping them apart with their claws. During this maneuver, though there were some dracolisks that were caught and shot down by Amon's forces, the majority of them were able to fly away after dealing devastating damage against the attacking army.

As more reinforcements for the zerg arrived, the attack wave was pushed back. However, not long afterwards the zerg had to pull their forces back to the other entrances as more waves of attackers began showing up in all areas. The fight continued to grind onwards, but for the most part the zerg were able to prevent any breaches.

Suddenly, a massive void thrasher appeared in the distance and began bombarding Kerrigan with blasts of psionic energy. While Lelei blocked the barrage with a psionic shield, Tyuule lead a sortie of zerg out to destroy the void thrasher. The void thrasher was quite well protected, as many of Amon's minions had gathered around it.

The zerg attacked, first sending forward a swarm of banelines which blew apart the first few lines of enemies. Then, the ultralisks charged in, tearing into the center. The roaches and hydralisks followed, shooting into the mass of enemies. Several ultralisks soon fell to the vast quantities of firepower from Amon's army, but they were making steady progress as they approached the void thrasher.

Then, the void thrasher turned inwards, before unleashing a barrage of energy that tore through a section of the zerg force. Then, Amon's minions attacking the weakened area of the army, trying to break it apart. A quick response from the zerg reformed their lines, blunting the attack, but the zerg were still forced onto the defensive.

As the battle raged, Tyuule began tearing forward through the crowd of enemies, ripping through them with great ferocity. As more and more of the shadows fell to her claws, the zerg were able to advance, breaking through the hordes of enemies. Then, they approached the void thrasher. It was quite large, but the zerg army pummeled it with an endless stream of attacks, wounding the creature bit by bit.

The thrasher began striking back at its attackers, blowing apart bits of the army. However, there were still more zerg attacking. Finally, Tyuule hit the thrasher head on, ripping deeply into its chest. Then, she struck its head, bringing down the massive creature.

It wasn't time to enjoy their small victory though. A new army was approaching and it was time for the zerg strike force to retreat so that it wouldn't get swallowed up.

The zerg fliers quickly engaged the approaching army. However, they had ships of their own, which began fighting back against the approaching mutalisks and dracolisks. Many of the ships were occupied in the attack, and countless mutalisks were being shot down, but the dracolisks were able to strafe the ground forces several times, thinning out the army.

Meanwhile, as the attackers got closer they were hit by the zerg's own version of artillery. The magilisks floating in the air bombarded the battlefield with powerful attacks, ripping through clustered groups of enemies. Lelei was fighting as well, sending streaks of psionic energy which blasted apart war machines and ships. Amon's forces were faltering somewhat even as they began approaching the base.

Another void thrasher emerged and began its attack. In response, the zerg began focusing their firepower on the area closest to the thrasher, obliterating almost all the attackers near there. Then, a zerg army charged out to engage the thrasher. Of course, this came at a cost. While the zerg focused their attention on a single front, Amon's armies were able to make advances near the other entrances, breaking through the initial line of defenses.

However, more zerg soon arrived to plug the breach, quickly surrounding any of the attackers that made it this far. The attackers on the ground were soon driven back again, while the zerg were winning the battle in the air. The strike group managed to kill the void thrasher, eliminating the threat before withdrawing. The remainder of Amon's army came forward for another attack, throwing themselves toward the zerg with everything they had. While the attack managed to inflict yet more losses, ultimately the shadows were wiped out.

While it looked as though the worst was over, suddenly an even larger army of void creatures appeared in the distance, far more numerous than the previous attack wave. Amon had gathered together as many slaves as he could.

Suddenly, a bright flash lit up the area.

"It is time", Ouros said as he died. "You have become xel'naga, the last product of the Infinite Cycles."

A vast amount of energy burst forth from Kerrigan, disintegrating all of the approaching shadows. With Amon's minions scoured from the area, Kerrigan descended.

The vast infusion of power had filled Kerrigan, and power spilled out of her as golden wisps. Kerrigan's new form composed of pure energy was one that resembled a radiant angel.

"You look… different", Tyuule said.

"Well, how do you like my new look?", Kerrigan asked. "Now that I have transcended a physical body, I could make myself look like whatever I want."

"Eh, I don't really like it", Lelei said. "It is a bit pretentious, and I thought you didn't want to act like those gods with their glowing figures."

"I think you looked just fine the way you were before", Tyuule said. "But I don't really care."

"Hmm, perhaps this look doesn't quite suit me", Kerrigan said. Then, her form shifted, morphing into the shape of the Queen of Blades. "I always did like purple."

Finally, Kerrigan turned and looked toward the distance. "It is time to kill Amon, once and for all."

Amon resided within a large platform floating within the Void. Now, Kerrigan approached, ready to finish the fight against Amon. The area was filled with Amon's minions, shadows born from the Void. Kerrigan unleashed a blast of energy, instantly vaporizing the nearby shadows. Then the zerg began landing upon the rocky surface as they secured a foothold. Meanwhile, Kerrigan started probing Amon's defenses.

"Amon has a barrier up to protect himself", Kerrigan said. "We will have to disable it if we are to proceed. It is powered by void crystals, and Amon must send them out periodically to recharge. That is our chance to strike at them and destroy them."

More of Amon's minions began forming out of the Void, coming into being to serve their master. They began moving to attack, but Kerrigan met them head on, blasting them apart casually with her power.

Then, one of the void crystals began floating outwards. The zerg armies instantly rushed toward it, tearing through the minions in their way. Once they reached the crystal, the zerg started attacking it, shooting the crystal from all sides. Suddenly, massive pillars fell from above, embedding themselves in the ground. The constructs then opened up and began tearing through the ranks of zerg with beams of chaotic energy.

While the first strikes caught the zerg by surprise, they soon organized themselves, tearing down the constructs with their claws and teeth. Kerrigan was blasting through the pillars, melting them apart. Once those were destroyed, they focused on bringing down the void crystal before it could return to Amon. Soon, the crystal shattered, bringing Amon one step closer to defeat.

The next void crystal was already coming out. As the zerg advanced toward it, multiple void chasms appeared, spewing out more of Amon's minions that came forward to attack. The zerg armies were attacked from all sides by the minions of Amon, but with Kerrigan's aid they were able to destroy the shadows. Then, Lelei focused on sealing the chasms to prevent any more void creatures from spilling forth.

The void crystal drifted nearby and it was attacked by the assembled swarm of zerg, from above with the mutalisks striking it with their glaive worms, and the dracolisks tearing into it with their claws, as well as from below with hydralisks peppering it with spines. Even though the crystal was massive, it began to chip away and crumble to pieces.

Little by little, Amon's defenses were peeled away. With the destruction of the last of his void crystals, his barrier deactivated, leaving him vulnerable.

Kerrigan approached Amon, ready for the final confrontation. As she drew near, Amon spoke. "You are but the product of a flawed cycle. Manipulated for the entirety of your existence."

"I care not about what you say, Amon", Kerrigan replied. "The Infinite Cycle doesn't matter to me. I do this not out of obligation to a dead race. Rather, this is my own choice. I do this because I want to. Now, your death will come."

Kerrigan struck Amon with a massive blast of energy which tore through the body of the fallen xel'naga. As Amon fell, Kerrigan reached forth and took what remained of his essence.

Finally, Kerrigan floated downwards, where the rest of the Swarm awaited.

"Amon has been defeated", Kerrigan said. "He will never return. He will never threaten the universe again."

"What are you going to do now?" Tyuule asked. "You have defeated all your foes, what else is there to fight?"

"I know not what the future holds", Kerrigan said. "We shall see how things go. Wherever life takes me, that is where I shall go. Now, we are free. Unbound by the shackles of a master. No longer restricted by the fear of an enemy. The zerg are ascendent, and we are free to do what we want."

"So will you be coming with us?", Lelei asked.

"Of course", Kerrigan said. "The zerg will stay together as one. And I shall always be there for all of you. No matter what happens. Come now, the future awaits."

End of story author's note:

As I reflect upon my experience writing this story, I conclude that it was an overall positive experience. There were things that I was proud of, and there were places I feel that I was lacking in. I had set out to write a fic that was different, as I was tired of seeing the gate fics, and starcraft fics, follow the same events. I did manage to make a gate fic that was different, though the starcraft portion unfortunately did not provide as much opportunity for divergence. But it is best to dwell on the better parts of life, and I do feel some pride in this work. 6 months, that is how long the story took from beginning to end. It wasn't a short period of time, though it isn't long compared to other fanfictions. I managed to maintain a constant weekly release rate without any interruption, though there were times when that was difficult and I only barely made the deadline. To the readers, and especially those who commented, thank you all for sticking with me throughout the course of this story. The completion of a story is always a great thing, and I hope you all enjoyed it.